A perhaps liberating take on Jesus's parables.
"A parabolic reading insists that the importance of these stories lies in their meanings. An empty tomb without meaning ascribed to it is simply an odd, even if exceptional, event. Only when the meaning is ascribed does it take on significance. This is the function of parable and parabolic language. Parable can be based on an actual event (there could have been a Samaritan who did what the character in Jesus's parable is reported to have done), but it need not be. Indeed, it may be that the most important truths can be expressed only in parable.
"In any case, asking about the parabolic meaning of biblical stories, including the Easter stories, is always the most important question. The alternative of fixating on whether they report literally factual happenings leads one astray."
Marcus Borg, Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary.
